Shortstack
by CanzetYote
Summary: When Grizz is poisoned with antifreeze during an eating contest, Panda and Ice Bear must cope with his jarring absence when he's hospitalized.
1. Eating Contest

It was a day just like any other day as beams of sunlight poured through the cave-house's window. Grizz yawned and rubbed his eyes as he approached the window. A smile played wide across his face as he was greeted to the sounds of birds chirping and the scent of blossoms lingering in the air.

Suddenly, a soft yawn echoed through the cave and Panda approached Grizz, rubbing his eyes as well, "Hey, Grizz. Good morning, got any plans today?"

Grizz shrugged, "Actually, I think we should probably take it easy today until the afternoon."

Panda nodded in response, "I agree, that was quite the wild party last night."

Grizz smiled back and patted Panda on the shoulder, "You said it, Pan-Pan."

The two turned and walked into the kitchen where Ice Bear was cooking breakfast. The smell of sausage and eggs was divine as it wafted through the air. Ice Bear was real careful about Panda's diet and had gotten him tofu substitute sausage while out at the market. Pulling out a long samurai sword, the polar bear diced the food into pieces before serving it to his brothers, "Eat up."

"Thanks, Ice Bear." Panda replied as Grizz was too busy devouring his food like a starving, rabid dog.

Ice Bear nodded, "Ice Bear gets the paper."

And so, the polar bear stepped out of the kitchen and walked to the front door which he opened.

Panda gave Grizz a concerned look as he messily devoured his breakfast, "You know, you really should learn to chew your food a little more, Grizz."

Grizz gave a hearty laugh, "Oh, Panda. Must you always sweat the small stuff? I mean, Icey's cooking is amazing."

"I know." Panda replied, "I just prefer to taste my food a little before swallowing. It's the respectful thing to do with Ice Bear's cooking."

"I don't think he really cares, either way." Grizz said with a shrug and a loud burp. Panda cringed, fanning the fumes from Grizz's loud belch.

Ice Bear returned to the table with a newspaper in this paw, "Grizz, this may interest you."

The polar bear presented the grizzly with the newspaper and Grizz opened it to the front page. His eyes scanned rapidly across the newsprint and he got the widest smile on his face, "Oh, I am SO gonna be there!"

Panda blinked in confusion, "What are you talking about? I really don't like that look on your face."

"According to the newspaper, there's a steak eating contest in the park today!" Grizz replied with joy.

Panda rolled his eyes at his big brother, "You really should go on a diet, you know."

Grizz gave a hearty chuckle, "Panda, you have no idea just what you're missing out on."

"It's my choice if I want to be vegetarian, you know." Panda scoffed, crossing his arms.

Grizz chuckled a bit, "Oh well, your loss."

"Ice Bear thinks Grizzly should compete. Might win us a prize." Ice Bear replied.

Panda scratched his head, "I don't know if this is such a good idea.."

"I think it's a great idea!" Grizz replied, "You worry too much, Panda!"

"If you say so..." Panda sighed as he casually dug into his eggs.

Later, the three bears were all stacked up and traversing the city on their way to the park.

A bad feeling filled the pit of Panda's stomach and it just got worse and worse the closer they got to the park. Thoughts raced through his mind about Grizz's gluttonous eating habits over the last months. He has been scarfing down nearly twice as much as normal and it showed. Though Ice Bear was still strong enough to carry the both of them, Panda began suffering from backaches after extensive stack travel. He tried his best to talk Grizz into going on a diet but his stubborn brother just wouldn't listen. It irritated him but he tried to keep his temper in check for the sake of his own emotional health.

Eventually they reached the park and the stack separated. Panda let out a loud groan and rubbed his back, "You know, I really should frequent my visits to my chiropractor more often, your weight is starting to be murder on my back, Grizz."

"Ice Bear doesn't notice weight gain." Ice Bear replied, calm as ever.

Grizz turned to Panda with a smile, "See, Panda? Ice Bear's got my back."

"Well, you sure got my back. In a lot of pain, that is." Panda replied sarcastically.

Grizz just laughed and brushed off Panda's sarcasm, "It's just your imagination, Pan-Pan."

Panda sighed and hung his head, "Just promise me you'll actually go on a diet once this whole eating contest is over, okay?"

"Ice Bear goes to Zumba on Sunday, you should sign up for it." Ice Bear nodded in agreement.

"All right, you guys. I'll promise that I'll diet and attend exercise class when I'm done with this." Grizz replied.

The three bears trudged deeper into the part and the scent of steak and BBQ sauce filled the air. Lots of people were talking and Grizzly's attention was pulled straight towards a stage where a man in an Elvis Presley costume was standing, "Five minutes until signups are over and the contest begins. I repeat, five minutes until signups are over and the contest begins." The man shouts through a yellow megaphone.

In an instant, Grizz zipped up to the stage in a brown blur, rushing through the crowd of people and throwing himself onto the stage, "Hey! I'd like to sigh up."

"You're just in time!" The Elvis impersonator replied, handing Grizzly a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it, "Sign here."

Grizz happily sighed the piece of paper, "So do these steaks come with barbecue sauce?"

"Of course they do! You can put as much sauce as you want on them." The host chuckled in response.

"Sweet!" Grizz replied as he hopped up on stage and took his place at one of the folding tables.

Panda turned to Ice Bear with a frown on his face, "I have a real bad feeling about this."

"Axes are banned from this contest, so Ice Bear won't enter." The polar bear replied in mild disappointment.

Grizzly stared down at his plate and noticed a knife and fork next to it so he shoved the cutlery off the table and it hit the stage floor with a loud clatter, "I won't be needing any of that. Real men eat steak with their hands!"

A big, burly lumberjack that sat next to Grizzly turned and faced him, "That's exactly what I think, too. Real men don't need girly tools like knives and forks to eat red meat!"

"Preach to the choir there, brother." Grizz replied, giving the man a high five.

Just then, the man turned away from the bear and grabbed the BBQ sauce off the table. He pulled a mysterious bottle from his pocket and unscrewed the cap. Breaking the sauce's seal, he poured the lime green liquid contents of the bottle inside the sauce until is was empty. Putting the mysterious bottle away, he placed the sauce back on the counter and handed it to Grizz, "Here, you can have this bottle."

"Thanks, man." Grizz replied. Unfortunately, Panda and Ice Bear didn't witness the poisoning as their eyes were fixed on Grizz the entire time.

An earsplitting buzzer sounded, signaling the contestants to eat and Grizz dug in right away, smothering the steak with the tainted sauce and devouring it messily. Another steak was put on his plate and about halfway through, the bear found that he couldn't breathe. Grizz suddenly stood up only to collapse to his knees. His vision began to darken and he suddenly felt weak and light-headed. Just then, technicolor vomit spewed forth from his mouth, pooling on the wooden stage floor. He felt a large paw on his back which was none other than Ice Bear and heard the sound of loud sirens on top of Panda's panicked, hysterical jibberish. Seconds after, everything fell into complete darkness and silence.


	2. Storm Of Tears

Inside the ambulance, Ice Bear had his arm around a trembling Panda who looked to be on the verge of tears, "Ice Bear, I'm scared...wh-what if he n-n-never wakes up. What was up w-with all th-that?"

"Maybe poison." Ice Bear replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"P-poison?" Panda stammered, "But...who would w-want to h-hurt Grizz so badly?"

Ice Bear squeezed Panda's paw and sadly shook his head, "Ice Bear is drawing a blank."

Panda sniffled a bit, holding Grizz's paw in desperate search for a pulse. He found one, although it was slow. Tears began to slowly fall from his eyes and wet his fur in dark streaks.

Ice Bear put his arm around the now crying Panda, hugging him close, "Whoever did this will pay."

All Panda could do to reply was let out a pathetic sob as he trembled like a frail leaf in a windstorm. Almost immediately, the ambulance pulled into the hospital and the paramedics carried Grizz out on the stretcher. The panda and polar bear rushed behind them, following after them as they entered the halls of the emergency room. Ice Bear had a stern look on his face while tears were dripping off the end of Panda's nose as he sobbed helplessly. It was too much for his delicate heart to take.

After watching Grizz get wheeled into a room, the two bears tried to follow in after him but they were stopped by a doctor, "I'm sorry but the two of you will have to wait in the waiting room."

"But...m-m-my b-brother is i-i-in there..." Panda choked out, hot tears trickling down his muzzle, "H-he can't d-d-die. He just c-c-can't..."

"We'll do everything we can to save him. You'll have to wait outside, it's a very delicate procedure."

"Blood test results?" Ice Bear requested, cocking his head to the side.

"We'll give them to you as soon as we can get them. Right now, your brother is unconscious and comatose. All you can do is stay in the waiting room." The doctor replied.

Panda sighed and Ice Bear led him out of the emergency room halls and into the waiting room. Composing himself, Panda flopped down on a chair and whipped out his cellphone. Sniffling, he began texting Chloe about what just happened. After hitting send, a tear plopped onto the glowing screen of the phone. Ice Bear noticed and put his arms around Panda again, trying to console his distraught brother.

Panda just shivered and squeezed his eyes shut against the salty sting of bitter tears. It was so unfair. What kind of monster could do that to Grizz? Memories of all the good times he had with Grizz raced through his mind and he squeezed Ice Bear's paw in his own, desperately seeking comfort but no amount of comfort in the world could stop the tears now flowing freely from Panda's eyes or the fact that Grizz was in the ER.

Meanwhile, Chloe had received Panda's text and the message made her blood run cold. Slowly, she got on her bike and started pedalling her way to the hospital. She didn't care how many people she bumped onto or ran over, the only thing on her mind was Grizz in the hosital. She rode her bike as fast as her legs could carry her and it wasn't long before she found herself at the front doors of the hospital.

Chloe entered the building and dashed straight to the front desk, "Excuse me?"

A woman at the desk peered down at the young prodigy with a stern glare, "Aren't you supposed to be here with a parent, young lady?"

"I'm here to visit a friend of mine in the emergency room." Chloe replied, "I'm a student at the university."

The receptionist rolled her eyes at the little girl, "Yeah, and I'm the queen of England."

Chloe then pulled her backpack off and opened it. Rummaging through a few things, she pulled out her university ID card and slapped it on the table, "Please, I need to see him."

The receptionist stared at the card and groaned, "Oh all right, the ER is straight down the hall and to the right. If you go left, you'll wind up in the cafeteria. There was a real bad coffee spill there last time I checked so please, make a right turn."

Chloe nodded, picking up her idea and following the directions, taking the path straight and making a right turn. When she got to the waiting room, she heard the most pathetic sobbing. Turning her heard, she noticed Panda and Ice Bear sitting together. Panda had tears streaming down his muzzle like waterfalls while Ice Bear held him close.

Whimpering, Panda rubbed his eyes to clear his vision of the tears when he noticed Chloe. Instantly, he got up from his seat and tackled the child prodigy in a close hug, "C-Chloe? I'm so g-g-glad to s-see you."

The panda rested his tear-streaked snout on the girl's shoulder and she began softly petting him on his head, "Tell me everything that happened, Panda."

It took a few, long seconds for Panda to compose himself before he began to tell the story. He told Chloe of the eating contest through the occasional sniffle and sob. He explained about how Grizz collapsed suddenly and the ride in the ambulance.

As Panda explained the story, Ice Bear flipped through a boring golf magazine he found in the lobby, trying to do everything he could to keep his mind off of the stressful situation at hand. Beneath his stoic expression, he was worried sick for his big brother. There were times like these he envied Panda's emotional nature. He wished he could cry with his more emotional brother but it seemed his tear ducts had long since frozen over.

Just then, a nurse entered the waiting room with a clipboard in hand, "Mr Panda and Ice Bear, as it turns out your brother has been poisoned with a large dose of antifreeze. We're doing everything we can in our power to keep him alive but he keeps going into cardiac arrest. At this rate, it may take a miracle for Grizz to recover."

"Antifreeze?!" Panda and Chloe gasped in unison.

The polar bear abruptly shot up from his chair, "Take Ice Bear to see him."

The nurse sighed, "He's in a comatose state at the moment so he won't be able to reply back. Besides, visiting hours are over. It would be best if the three of you headed home."

Panda whimpered softly and Chloe hugged him. Ice Bear just hung his head and growled a bit. Panda sighed, "All right, let's go home, Ice Bear."

Chloe smiled, trying to remain optimistic about the whole ordeal, "Look, Grizz is in good hands. I'm sure the doctors are trying their hardest to help save him. If it's okay, I'll walk back to the cave with you guys."

Panda sighed and shook his head, "That wouldn't really be necessary, Chloe. I mean, your parents must be worried sick about you. Besides, I've got Ice Bear with me."

Chloe hugged Panda one last time, "All right. Stay safe, you two. I'll keep you guys updated on Grizz's condition."

The two bears parted ways with the child prodigy and made their way out of the hospital. As they travelled back home, Panda felt a sudden emptiness to the stack. It felt much shorter and quieter than normal. He opened his mouth to speak and breathed a heavy sigh, "The stack sure feels shorter, doesn't it, Ice Bear?"

No reply came back as Ice Bear continued walking, carrying Panda on his back, "Ice Bear, do you think Grizz will be all right?"

"Ice Bear hopes so." The polar bear quickly replied.

A few minutes passed and Ice Bear felt something wet dripping upon his head and he heard the most gut-wrenching whimpers and sobs coming from his brother. Panda hung his head, salty tears rolling down his nose and dripping from the rims of his nostrils like a leaky faucet. Sadly, the polar bear pulled out an umbrella and raised it over his head, letting Panda's tears hit it until they reached home and the stack separated.

Instantly, Panda ran for his room, slammed his door shut, locked it and let out a symphony of soul-crushed weeping. It wasn't the same type of cry Panda cried when he broke up with a girl, it was far, far worse. It almost sounded as if someone was forcing Panda to stick his paws in a vat of acid, the crying was so hysterical.

Ice Bear couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed his axe and chopped up Panda's door into little, tiny pieces. Throwing the axe to the ground, he rushed up to his distressed brother and pulled him into the tighest hug he could muster.

All Panda could do was bury his face in Ice Bear's snow white fur and cry like a lost baby, his bitter tears waterlogging his stoic brother. Eventually, Panda had literally cried himself to sleep and Ice Bear got up, walking out of Panda's room and over to the couch. Much to his own amazement, he felt a single tear prick the corner of his eye so he rubbed it away before it could roll down his muzzle. He drew a deep breath, slowly closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

The glow of the moon and the dead silence of the night were just outside the cave. It was going to be a long, restless night without their big brother at their side.


	3. Waves Of Relief

After a long and lonely night, the sun slowly rose in the San Francisco skyline as daylight seeped through the bears' window. Panda slowly opened his eyes and walked out of his room, taking a moment to glance at the broken door that Ice Bear chopped up. With a heavy sigh, Panda walked out to the kitchen where Ice Bear was cooking breakfast. The panda patiently sat at the table while the polar bear cooked up a dish of fried eggs.

Just then, Panda's phone rang and he flipped it open to be greeted by Chloe's voice at the other end of the line, "Hello, Panda. It's me, Chloe. I've got good news."

Panda perked up a bit, speaking a mile a minute, "WhatisitpleasetellmeGrizzisaliveandwellsoicansleepeasierandhopetoseehimagain!"

"I called the hospital and they told me he's in stable condition." Chloe replied, "Everything is going to be fine."

Panda breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good to know. So will Grizz be getting out of the hospital soon?"

"From what the doctor said, it may take a full week before Grizz makes a complete recovery." Chloe replied.

Panda hung his head and sighed in response, "At least he's still alive. Okay, thanks for the update, Chloe. Bye."

Ice Bear sat down at the table, slowly cutting his food with an axe and eating it. Panda spun around to face his polar bear brother with a soft, gentle smile, "Good news, Grizz is in stable condition."

Ice Bear gave a small smile in response, "Let's go see him."

Panda nodded, downing a glass of pulp free orange juice, "It...it...looks like everything will be okay."

The emotional Panda found himself choking back tears of joy as he walked up to Ice Bear and hugged him. After a few seconds, the polar bear hugged back and Panda looked at him with soft, tear-filled eyes, "After we visit him, let's make a welcome home Grizz party, okay?"

"Ice Bear is already two steps ahead of you." Ice Bear replied, snapping his claw-fingers. As if on cue, a table sprouted from the ground with a massive cake on it and confetti began to fall from the ceiling.

Panda rubbed his eyes in disbelief, "Ice Bear, how did you..."

"Ice Bear never reveals his secrets." Ice Bear replied in a matter-of-fact tone. And with that, he snapped his claws again and the cake went into hiding.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door and Panda dashed to open it. In front of him stood Chloe who had a big smile on her face, "I'll fill in the empty space on top of the stack til Grizz gets better. Deal?"

All Panda could do was hug her in response and Ice Bear joined the two outside. Panda mounted Ice Bear while Chloe sat atop Panda."

"Hospital here we come. Hold on tight." Ice Bear spoke before breaking out in a sprint. Panda and Chloe clung for dear life to the polar bear as he sprinted through the city to the hospital.

Upon arrival, the three filed into the waiting room. No one paid the 10 year old girl and two bears any mind as they sat down. Panda got up and walked over to the receptionist, "Excuse me but we're here to see our brother, Grizz. He was admitted here for antifreeze poisoning but a family friend informed me of his recovery. We'd love to see him if that's all right."

The receptionist nodded and made a call to the back to confirm, "All right, we'll let you through."

And so, Panda, Ice Bear and Chloe walked through the main lobby and down the hall to the emergency room waiting area. They showed their identification to the desk and were led by a nurse to Grizz's room. Pulling back the curtain, the 3 noticed that Grizzly was awake in bed with a weak smile on his face, "Did you guys miss me?"

Panda couldn't contain his emotions, he stepped foward and wrapped his arms around Grizz, warm tears forming under his eyelids, "I'm so glad you're safe."

Ice Bear hung his head, a manly tear of joy rolling slowly down his snout and perching on the tip of his ebony nose, "Ice Bear is pleased with your recovery."

The polar bear gave one of his rare, cute smiles as he wiped the salty tear from his nose with the back of his paw.

"Don't ever scare us like that again." Panda scolded Grizz tearfully as he continued to hug him.

Grizz just chuckled a bit in response, "Hey, it's not my fault I got food poisoning."

"Whoever did that should be brought to justice." Chloe replied.

Panda nodded in agreement with the child prodigy, "For all we know, he could be some sort of messed up psycho."

"How is Grizz feeling?" Ice Bear asked, tilting his head.

"I feel like I could get out of this bed and party right now but the doctors told me to stay put for a week." Grizz replied, folding his arms and scoffing.

"The doctors just want you to take it easy so you make a full recovery." Panda replied, "I mean, if I just barfed antifreeze, I'm pretty sure I'd want to lay in bed for a while."

"Panda's right." Chloe nodded, "You need to rest for the sake of your own health."

Grizz groaned a little in response, "I just hope I don't have to wait forever."

"Anyways, stay in bed until the doctor says you're okay. All right, Grizz?" Panda requested.

Ice Bear turned and faced Chloe, "Want to top the bearstack while Grizz is recovering?"

"Grizz?" Chloe turned to the brown-furred bedridden bear.

Grizz smiled at the prodigy and nodded his head, "You can ride atop Panda if you like til I get better."

"Just be gentle with me, my back is still recovering." Panda chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with his paw.

Chloe gave Grizz a quick hug, "See you soon, Grizz. I hope whoever did this to you gets caught."

Grizz gave a hearty laugh in response, "I'll be alive and kicking before you know it. I'm a whirlwind of energy, there's no way something as silly as antifreeze can pin me down."

And so, the 3 waved goodbye to Grizz and exited the room. Chloe hopped on Panda's back who hopped on Ice Bear's back and the three travelled in a stack through the hospital. Most people watched them pass by without a word and went back to reading the lobby's golf and Martha Stewart homemaker magazines. As they exited the hospital, Panda exhaled a deep breath, "Phew, I'm sure glad to be out of there. You know, after my allergic reactions to peanuts, I've grown to dislike hospitals. So much white it makes my eyes sting."

Chloe shrugged, "I don't mind hospitals so much, usually they're pretty quiet."

"Ice Bear explored an abandoned hospital once. Met a ghost of a mental patient there. She smelled like greek yogurt and old needles." Ice Bear remarked.

Panda raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Some things are best left alone." Ice Bear replied.

"Yeah..." Panda chuckled nervously in response.

And so, the three of them set off to the cave, talking about all sorts of things on the way there ranging from Lord Of The Rings to indie pop music. Mostly, it was Panda and Chloe chatting while Ice Bear listened like a fly on the wall. Eventually, they got back to the cave's entrance and the stack separated. Chloe smiled at the two, "I had a real great time today. I mean, Grizz is okay and I get to have a sleepover with you guys."

"Sleepover?" Panda blinked, "Won't your parents be worried? Have you told them yet?"

"I told them I'm sleeping over at a friend's place and they were fine with it." Chloe replied, adjusting her glasses.

"In that case, you can have my bed since Ice Bear normally sleeps in the fridge." Panda replied, "I'll just sleep on the couch."

Chloe shook her head, "That's okay, really. I'm okay with taking the couch as long as I have a pillow."

"Ice Bear is still washing the pillow cases." The polar bear replied, "The laundry will be done soon."

And so, the three entered the cave and Panda turned the TV on. Instantly, the news station popped up on the screen and there stood a reporter, speaking into her microphone, "We're here at the home of Blaine Masters, a recently caught serial killer who has been going to eating contests and spiking the condiments with antifreeze. Blaine's garage is being raided by SWAT teams as we speak. A total of 4 victims so far has been confirmed. This is Monica Howell, live from San Francisco."

Panda suddenly went pale and a chill ran down his spine, "S-s-serial killer?"

"Ice Bear knew it." The polar bear stated.

"Here is a mugshot of Blaine Masters." Monica said as a picture flashed on the screen. There was a man in a cowboy hat on the screen.

Panda's eyes widened as wide as saucers and he nervously pointed at the TV screen with a shaky paw, "That's the guy who sat next to Grizz during the contest."

"Ice Bear will chop his head off." The polar bear stated, grabbing his axe.

Panda shook his head, "Nonononono, don't do that! He's already in jail and will most likely get put on death row for his crimes. And besides, Grizz is recovering. We're all still here, so it wouldn't be a good idea to go and do that."

Ice Bear sighed and put his axe away, "Ice Bear always wanted to execute a killer."

"I know you do, but that would be a very bad idea." Panda replied.

Chloe nodded, "Panda is right, if you decapitated Blaine Masters than you'd be put on trial for his murder."

"Ice Bear will vent by cooking a delicious meal." The polar bear remarked.

Panda smiled, "See? Violence is never the answer and that's a much more productive way to get out your frustrations."

As Ice Bear went into the kitchen, Chloe let out a sigh and Panda put his arm around her, "Is something wrong, Chloe?"

Chloe looked to the ground, avoiding eye contact with Panda, "N-nothing. It's just...I find it hard to believe that Grizz was nearly just another victim in a serial killer's body count."

Panda sighed and hung his head, "Same here but the important thing is that he's behind bars and can't poison anyone ever again. When we were in the hospital, I thought we were going to lose Grizz for good." A tear rolled down Panda's muzzle and Chloe wiped it away with her thumb. Panda then gave the child prodigy a sad smile, "Thank you so much for being there for me. You and Ice Bear."

After petting Panda on the head a bit, Chloe smiled back, "You're welcome. Considering you guys are my closest friends and all, I'm more than happy to help out."

Ice Bear exited the kitchen with a plate of his delicious cheese calzones and the three dug in. Chloe was amazed by the polar bear's culinary skill as she happily devoured her calzone. Ice Bear gave Chloe a smile, "Good?"

"That tasted amazing! Thanks, Ice Bear. Maybe you should work as a professional chef." Chloe replied, amazed by the flavor of the gooey cheese.

Ice Bear blushed through his white fur and bowed in response, "Ice Bear aims to please."

The whole week, Chloe had her extended sleepover with the bears as Grizz recovered at the hospital. She opted to sleep on the couch while Ice Bear stayed in his fridge and Panda slept in his bed. When they went out to places, Chloe sat at the top of the stack atop Panda. She was lightweight so Panda didn't have to worry about backaches so much. Eventually, Grizz was discharged from the hospital and was wheeled home by Ice Bear in a wheelchair.

Upon entering the cave, Grizz noticed decorative streamers everywhere and balloons. He couldn't help but smile and allow a warm tear of joy to run down his muzzle, "Awww, you guys..."

Ice Bear clapped once and a trap door opened up and out of it shot a metal platform with a cake on it, "Ice Bear installed the platform AND baked the cake."

Grizz gasped at the sight of the cake, got out of his wheelchair and ran up to it, shoving the entire thing in his mouth as if it were nothing and getting pink icing on his muzzle and nose. Panda and Chloe couldn't help but giggle at the sight while Ice Bear gave a soft smile.

Panda walked up tp Grizz, wrapping his arms around him in a close hug, "I'm so glad that you survived."

"Ice Bear is happy that guy is behind bars." The polar bear added. Ice Bear walked up to Grizz, leaned in close and licked the frosting off of Grizz's nose, "Yep, Ice Bear still has his baking touch."

Grizz just laughed in response, "Easy with the tongue there, bro, I just got out of the hospital."

Everyone burst out laughing. Even Ice Bear let out a soft chuckle. Panda looked around at everyone and smiled, "How about we all just sit down and watch a movie together?"

"Ice Bear will make popcorn. How much butter?"

"None for me, thanks. I'm going on a diet." Panda replied.

"Smother my popcorn with it! The more butter the better!" Grizz laughed heartily.

"I'll just have an average amount of butter, thank you." Chloe replied, adjusting her glasses.

"All right, Ice Bear will make three separate batches." The polar bear stated. And with that, Ice Bear plugged in the new popcorn machine and filled it with popcorn seeds, turning it on.

That night was a peaceful night with the bears. They all opted to watch Wayne's World 2 together on the couch. Even Chloe and the normally effeminate Panda got a few good laughs out of it. Chloe in particular got a big kick out of the "Old Man Fashioning A Canoe Out Of A Log" scene. The four of them laughed and ate popcorn throughout the movie. As the sun sunk below the San Francisco skyline, Ice Bear returned to the fridge to sleep, Panda went to his room and Chloe fell asleep on the couch with Grizz, I'm glad you're still here with us, Grizz."

"Me too, Chloe. Me too." Grizz replied, nuzzling the girl. As the cave's atmosphere drifted off to peaceful silence, a shooting star streaked across the black sky. Grizzly was there and he was there to stay. Antifreeze did nothing to dent or rust his joyful spirit. He was the cheerful bear he always was.

The end.


	4. Bad Alternate Ending

**NOTE:** A _fter someone told me I should write an alternate ending where Grizz dies, I decided to go with it. Here is what I came up with._

 **WARNING:** _This is going to be extremely sad! Break out the tissues._

The sight of Grizz cloaked in a warm glow radiated from the pitch blackness. Panda shielded his eyes against the blinding light and Grizz smiled softly at him. Panda felt his heart stop as Grizz reached out and touched his paw, "I'm free, brother..."

"Please don't go." Panda whined softly, tears beginning to roll down his face.

Grizz hugged Panda close, ghostly tears welling up, "Sorry, Pan Pan. It was just too much for my body to take."

Panda choked back a sob, desperately trying to wipe away tears but they were now flowing like Niagara Falls, "Don't leave us...please..."

"I'm sorry, bro. I'll miss you..." Grizz replied sadly.

After breaking away, Grizz slowly faded into nothingness. Panda fell to his knees and cried like he had never cried before.

Just then, Panda snapped awake. His eyes darted around the room and he noticed it was 4 in the morning. He didn't know why but he had an immense feeling of grief and dread welling in his chest as he tried to cuddle himself for comfort.

Meanwhile, Ice Bear was having a dream that he was in his garden practicing yoga. He opened his eyes and turned his head to notice Grizz's glowing form smiling at him. The polar bear's eyes widened and his tear ducts thawed. He knew what this meant. There was a long silence before Ice Bear spoke, "Ice Bear will miss you, dear brother."

A large tear escaped Ice Bear's right eye and slipped down his cheek but it was swiftly wiped away by Grizz's ectoplasmic paw, "I'm fine, Ice Bear. Remember all the good times, we've had. I'll miss you guys."

Ice Bear closed his eyes and bowed as a sign of respect, silent tears running down his muzzle, "Ice Bear will miss you too."

Grizz hugged Ice Bear close before fading away into thin air. In reality, Ice Bear's eyes snapped open and he peered away the room. The same feeling of despair leeching off of Panda was stabbing his heart repeatedly and he felt a horrible depression wash over him.

In about an hour, Panda received a call from Chloe. She sounded nearly hysterical and had to pause several times to compose her emotions. The child prodigy explained that Grizz had fallen into a deep, vegetative coma. When she explained over the phone to Panda that she had no choice but to pull the plug, Panda let out the most hysterical, bloodcurdling scream.

His phone clattering to the ground, Panda began to literally vomit on the cave floor. Ice Bear put his arm around the vomiting, sobbing Panda as he tries to blink back his own tears.

Grizz was dead. Gone for good. With his departure, the atmosphere of the cave seemed colder, darker and emptier. All Panda could do was tremble, cry and vomit as Ice Bear held him and rubbed his back in an attempt to soothe him.

About an hour passed and there was a knock at the door. Ice Bear opened it to see Chloe standing there. She looked like she had been crying as her face was streaked with tears but it was nothing compared to Panda's constant stream of waterworks. She took a step forward and hugged Ice Bear, burying her face into his fur. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a key, "Grizz gave me this. Go in the attic of the cave and use this key to open the locked chest with the bearstack on it."

The locked chest. The one item in the house that was a complete mystery to even Ice Bear. Panda would ask his brothers about it when he found it one day. Ice Bear hadn't been able to open it no matter how hard he tried and Grizz danced around the subject whenever Panda brought it up. Grizz was keeping a secret from his brothers and it was time for them to discover it.

Ice Bear grasped the key and made a beeline for the cave's attic as Panda and Chloe followed. Openeing the door, the polar bear crawled in and looked around for the chest. It was a dark blue chest with the classic bearstack engraved on its exterior.

Slowly turning the key, Ice Bear popped the chest open and inside it was a brown teddy bear that resembled Grizz with a note attached to it. The polar bear pulled off the note and scanned the words with sad eyes:

 _Dear bros, I know I make some pretty dumb choices in life and I try not to think about the negative but let's try and be realistic here: Someday I might do something really stupid and it may be the last mistake I make. You know how we bearstack so if anything ever happens to me, you can use this teddy bear to replace my part of the stack._

 _If you are reading this note, I am either hurt really badly or dead. Use this doll to remember me by, maybe even treat it with love, the same way I treated that burrito with love._

 _Panda, try not to get too caught up in depression. Try and remember the good times. Ice Bear, don't be afraid to show your feelings. If you need to cry, I understand. Chloe, you have your whole life ahead of you but be there for my brothers in their time of need._

 _We had great times together and I truly love you all._

 _-Grizz._

Ice Bear handed the note to Panda, his eyes now full of tears. Panda took the note into his paws and read it. He let out a choked sob and a hot tear slid down his nose, falling onto the paper and smudging the ink. Chloe noticed Panda shed the tear and put a comforting arm around his back, her own tears filling the rims of her glasses.

It was too much for Panda's fragile heart to take. He dropped the note and took off down the ladder and through the cave. Tears blurring his vision, he went on all fours, sprinting out of the cave as fast as he could while Ice Bear and Chloe chased after him. They dashed through the city, chasing after the sobbing Panda until they reached a small 99 cents store. Panda made his way down a sandwich supply aisle, coming across a large jar of crunchy peanut butter.

Dark thoughts of suicide filled the panda's mind as he grabbed the jar with his paws. Snot oozing from his nose from crying so much, Panda unscrewed the lid of the jar and poked his claw into the seal protecting it when he was suddenly tackled to the ground by none other than Ice Bear, "Ice Bear won't let you."

"WHY NOT?! THAT STUPID DOLL IS NOT GRIZZ! THERE'S NO WAY HE CAN EVER BE REPLACED! MAYBE IF I DIED FROM ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK, I'D SEE HIM AGAIN!" Panda screamed tearfully, fighting against Ice Bear's iron grip.

Tears were now streaming down Ice Bear's muzzle as he pinned his black-and-white brother to the ground, "You're being selfish. Ice Bear is your brother, too."

"Ice Bear?" Panda whimpered softly. The polar bear was crying. No sniffles or sobs, just silent tears with a calm yet concerned look on his face. He wrapped his arms around the Panda in a close hug as the partially opened jar of peanut butter rolled across the aisle. Panda hung his head in shame, warm salty tears running down his snout and dripping onto Ice Bear's sea green apron. Ice Bear stroked Panda's head with his paws, a few tears of his own falling off his face. Chloe watched the crying bears hug it out, tears rolling down her own face.

Lucky for them, the store was nearly empty with the exception of a couple cashiers and an old guy browsing in the freezer section. Eventually, Panda calmed down and breathed a heavy sigh, "I'm so sorry. That was a pretty stupid outburst."

Ice Bear smiled despite his muzzle being slick with tears, "Ice Bear forgives you."

Panda nodded sadly, "I...I just don't know what to think anymore...I...I'll miss Grizz..."

"Ice Bear will miss Grizz, too."

Panda sniffled, wiping his muzzle with the back of his paw, "It's just not the same anymore. Grizz was always so strong and social. He'd always go out of his way to try and make friends while I just sat at my computer, chatting over social media sites. I wish I have the courage to start conversations like he did. He was so warm and energetic and caring. Our cave is now an empty shell of what it used to be without him around."

"You have to be strong, Panda." Chloe replied, "We all have to carry on. It's what Grizz would have wanted. He may not be here physically, but we all remember the good times we shared with him. Grizz may not have fulfilled his bucket list but he couldn't ask for better brothers."

Ice Bear nodded in agreement, "Ice Bear thinks you have a good point."

"So please Panda, don't go all crazy and attempt suicide. The last thing we need is another dead bear." Chloe replied.

Feeling a lump in his throat and a new batch of fresh tears flooding his eyes, Panda walked over to Chloe and pulled her into a hug, "I'm so sorry, Chloe, I..."

"I know, it's hard for all of us to be without him but the doctors did everything they could to try and save him. We'll just have to accept the fact he's gone and perform a funeral service." Chloe replied, "Of course, I have no idea how we'd afford the funeral."

"Ice Bear will take money out of retirement fund." The polar bear offered, "Retirement is completely optional to Ice Bear."

Chloe nodded, "Okay then. We'll do that then."

The girl and two bears exited the store while the dumbfounded cashiers watched. The funeral would be in two weeks.

Two weeks later, Panda, Ice Bear and Chloe all stood in front of Grizz's grave. It broke Chloe's heart because they were the only ones who even arrived to his funeral.

Chloe was the first to pay her respects to Grizz, kneeling in front of his tomb, "I remember breaking to the cave and meeting you for the first time. Sure, we had a rocky start but over time, we grew pretty close with each other. You truly are a great friend who always helped others out. You would always protect us and that's one of the many reasons we admire you. Rest in peace, Grizz, I'm sure you're in a much better place."

Chloe returned back from the grave and Ice Bear stepped up. He sat by the grave, gently stroking it with his paws. A tear escaped his eye and rolled down his nose before it fell and hit the tombstone with a splat. His face as blank as always in spite of the tear, he gently nuzzled Grizz's tomb stone with his snout and let out a deep sigh. The polar bear didn't speak a single word. He didn't have to.

And with that, Ice Bear got up and moved away from the tombstone.

Panda was the final one to mourn. He stopped by the tombstone and gave a deep, watery sniffle, "Grizz, if you're still here I want you to hear me out..."

The was a long pause before Panda let out a loud, hysterical wail and practically screamed through his tears, "YOU'RE THE BEST BROTHER WE EVER HAD! YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR US WHENEVER WE WERE SICK. You...when I locked you in the c-c-closet you still v-v-isited me at the hospital after that h-horrible d-d-date with L-lucy." The tears were hitting Grizz's tombstone like bitter rain as the emotional panda continued his rant, "And...and that time when Ice Bear and I couldn't contain our f-f-feral side and you brought us back t-to reality. Even through you s-sometimes c-c-cause trouble...we...we...we...STILL LOVE YOU!"

Panda hung his head, bawling loudly over Grizz's grave, his entire body trembling as tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. After three straight minutes of weeping, Panda calmed down and began to sing in a quiet, pained voice:

 _The lake sort of knows me._  
 _Was it you who promised time?_  
 _Lead me to a land so green_  
 _So she'll stay a while._

 _Please take me there._  
 _I'm ready._  
 _The ship sways, but the heart is steady._  
 _I have time._

When Panda finished his tearful singing, the three hung their heads in sadness. One by one, they walked away from Grizz's grave and back into the cave. Panda whimpered as he picked up the teddy bear version of Grizz and plopped it on his back, sitting in the space where Grizz used to top the bearstack. For a moment, they thought they could hear Grizz's voice being carried by the wind but Chloe just chalked it up to their imaginations. Grizz was gone for good. Things would never be the same for Panda, Ice Bear and Chloe.

The end.


End file.
